


Handmaiden

by Moontyger



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-07 13:46:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4265460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moontyger/pseuds/Moontyger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raised on Naboo by her mother's family, Leia's life follows a different, yet familiar path.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Handmaiden

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ancarett](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ancarett/gifts).



Leia Naberrie smoothed the heavy brocade skirts of her ceremonial gown, adjusting their drape ever so slightly, then carefully, regally, folded her hands in her lap. Her motions were practiced and deliberate, a ritual that calmed her thoughts and tied the Queen and her handmaidens together. Each woman, no matter which title she really bore, did the same whenever she was seated on the throne of Naboo.

Not that even this small mimicry was necessary. When Leia had been in training, she had never believed handmaidens could so easily take the place of their monarch. The resemblance often wasn't even that close; of course people saw through it. Most likely it was merely a polite fiction maintained solely by tradition.

But her trainer said otherwise. “You wear the Queen's gown; your face is painted in the traditional patterns. You sit on the Queen's throne. Who is to say, then, that you are not the Queen? It is the trappings of the office people see, nothing more.”

Leia hadn't believed her. The first time she sat on the throne, holding court in Queen Mairayni's place, Leia had closely watched the faces of those who addressed her, awaiting signs of recognition that had never appeared. It still seemed strange to her, but she'd had to admit her trainer had been correct: people saw only what they expected to see.

Not every Queen of Naboo had been this permissive, letting her handmaidens share her throne as though it belonged to all of them and honoring their actions as though they had truly been her own. Leia had seen the advantages for herself, but she could understand why a queen might choose otherwise. Had the title truly been Leia's as she'd once wanted, even knowing what she knew now, she wasn't sure she would have. 

But that path wasn't for her. When she'd broached the subject of following in her mother's footsteps, already determined to make a difference at the age of twelve, her Aunt Sola had told her it was impossible. 

“Your mother was very popular,” she explained. “You could – you _would_ \- get elected and be popular in turn. But that popularity would make you a possible threat to the Emperor's power.” She hadn't needed to say more. Even back then, Leia knew how the Emperor dealt with threats, even if she didn't truly understand how the queen of a single planet could be counted as such a threat.

But that was before she'd learned the fate of Queen Apailana. Today, listening to the Planetary Governor expound before a throne whose authority he clearly held in contempt, Leia knew her aunt had been right. If he knew whom he was truly addressing, if he saw past the costume to the woman beneath, she'd never be safe again.

But he didn't look that closely and she held her tongue, treating him with respect despite his obvious lack of any for her. She didn't challenge him, nor tell him just what she thought of him and his pompous attitude or his dictatorial decrees. That wasn't why she was here, taking her Queen's place in this audience. Leia was here to take the risk, to be the target if he decided to eliminate the Queen, and whatever the provocation, she would do her duty.

Later, when they were alone, she and the other handmaidens would make fun of him, but never where they might be overheard. It wouldn't do to tarnish Mairayni's reputation. The Queen's power to act was much lessened these days, but she did what she could to help her people. That was a mission they could all believe in.

* * *

The cantina was dark and cramped; the rancid smell of stale alcohol, alien body odor, and things Leia perferred not think about hung in the air, a stench so strong it was nearly a tangible fog over everything and everyone nearby. It was the kind of place Leia would never have gone near on Naboo, never have even known about.

It was the kind of place where she spent most of her time these days, at least whenever she was planetside. 

When she'd heard about Alderaan, it had been the last straw. Queen Mairayni did what she could, but Leia could no longer feel it was enough. She'd set out to join the Rebel Alliance, to offer her services in any capacity she could, but it had been harder than she'd thought. The problem was that you couldn't just decide to join the Rebellion – you had to find them first.

The Queen had tried to help, given her a message and directed her to a contact, but when Leia arrived, he was already gone – left or arrested, she wasn't sure which and hadn't dared ask.

It wasn't too late then; she could have returned to the palace and resumed her place as handmaiden. No one would have thought anything of it, nor would those few who knew what she was planning have blamed her for turning back. She didn't know where to find the Rebel Alliance and she didn't have an alternative method to contact them. What else could she do?

But Leia hated giving up once she'd made a decision. Her stubbornness was legendary in the Naberrie family; her aunt always said it reminded her of Leia's mother. So instead of the palace, she'd headed to the spaceport and hired herself out as a mercenary fighter on the first ship she could find taking on new crew. 

It was surprisingly easy, despite the lack of height that made her initially appear non-threatening. Her time as a handmaiden had given her a gift for imitating ways of speaking and carrying oneself and of course she was good with a blaster. They'd all had to be; they were the bodyguards of last resort. One demonstration later and she had herself a job.

It wasn't something she'd ever imagined herself doing before and if she'd had time to plan, she'd probably have chosen something else, but by the time she had a chance to slow down and really think about it, Naboo was already far behind.

Leia hadn't stayed with that first crew for long. She bounced from ship to ship and planet to planet, always looking, always listening for rumors of the Rebellion. 

It was a big galaxy and she wasn't an investigator, so it had taken more time than she'd liked. Eight months passed before she found her first real lead, the lead that had led her here, to this wretched cantina on the Outer Rim.

By then, Leia no longer recognized the woman she saw when she looked in the mirror. Her features were technically the same, but the hard eyes and cynical twist to her mouth that had first been assumed had become a permanent part of her face, so habitual that it was hard to shake them even when she was alone. She looked cold and dangerous – enough so that people made way for her despite her size - and nothing at all like the innocent girl who'd whispered in corners with the other handmaidens, nor the regal woman who'd sat the throne in her Queen's place. 

Leia knew the dangers of a mask worn too long, but she hadn't lost herself, not yet. She hadn't given up on her goal nor the reasons she'd first left Naboo, even if sometimes her life now made those reasons seem impossibly naive.

And because she hadn't, she'd left her current job to head out here. She'd heard that the infamous Han Solo, a wanted man with two separate bounties on his head, would be in this cantina tonight. And she wouldn't have cared, since she wasn't a bounty hunter, if it hadn't been for the rest of it – one of those bounties was from the Imperials and everything Leia had been able to learn about the circumstances suggested he was exactly the contact she needed.

It was crazy of him to be here, of course, with the prices on his head. Crazy enough that she hadn't entirely believed the rumors, but she was desperate enough to show up anyway.

And this time, desperation paid off. There he was, walking in with some younger blond guy and his big walking carpet of a partner.

Leia didn't know why they were here; her information hadn't been that complete. Frankly, she didn't care. As far as she knew, they were the first actual members of the Rebel Alliance that she'd seen and that was all that mattered.

She let them get settled, then gave it a few minutes more before making her approach. She didn't give them a chance to turn her away, just slid onto the yellowed plasteel bench beside the guy whose name she didn't know. Sitting there next to him felt strangely familiar, almost comfortable, but she didn't let herself relax. She wasn't safe yet.

“Hey, flyboy,” she said, making deliberate eye contact with Han, “I hear you've got something I'm looking for.”

He smirked, but she could tell he was still suspicious. Good, he'd have been stupid if he weren't. “I've got a lot of things a lot of people are looking for. You'll have to be more specific.”

“I've got a message here, but when I went to deliver it, the recipient had already left. I hear you can help it get to the right place.”

“Maybe. Who's it for?”

“Come on, Han. You know what she's asking.” The guy next to her spoke up and Leia looked at him again, more closely this time. He had blue eyes, as blue as the lakes near her family's house on Naboo – eyes that made her feel unexpectedly homesick just looking at them. Eyes that seemed so trusting that she didn't understand what he was doing here, in this company.

“Sure,” Han agreed. “But what I don't know is why.” 

“Give me a chance and you'll find out.” The reply was both challenging and a bit flirtier than she'd intended. With the way Han looked, he probably got that from a lot of women.

Since he didn't even look at her, that made it almost a sure thing. Most men Leia had met out here wouldn't pass up innuendo like that. “You sure you want to trust her, kid?”

“I'm sure.”

“It's your funeral. Chewie, take her back to the ship while we finish our business.”

Leia considered objecting, but after how long it had taken her to find them, she went along with being shunted aside. They could hardly be blamed for not automatically trusting her; she understood that well enough.

When she saw Han's ship, however, she nearly backed out. “You came in that thing? Are the three of you crazy?” she asked Chewbacca, who just laughed and looked rather smug. 

Not that he could do much else, not if he wanted her to understand him. Leia didn't understand Shyriiwook, a fact which she came to regret multiple times over the three hours she was left waiting, staring at Chewbacca and wishing desperately for some sort of distraction. 

By the time Han and his companion arrived, she had begun to wonder if she'd been misled about whom she was dealing with. Maybe they were just going to turn her into the Imperials or worse, sell her to slavers. Only the fact that they'd left her armed kept her from trying to leave. It might have been stupid if she had, but the longer she sat there, the stupider just waiting there felt.

“I see our guest is still here. She give you any trouble, Chewie?” Leia wished once again that she could understand the reply; it all sounded like roaring to her.

“I told you she would be.”

“I heard you, kid. But even you can be wrong about these things.”

The blond shook his head and gave Leia a genuine smile. “Don't worry about him; he's just in a bad mood.”

“So far, it seems like he's always in a bad mood.” Which wasn't fair, considering they'd barely met, but she wasn't in the mood to be fair.

“I'm not fond of picking up passengers – at least not the kind who aren't paying me.”

“If it's payment you want, I'll see what I can do.” Not that she had much, but if this actually led somewhere, hopefully she wouldn't need it.

“I guess you were right. She can be reasonable.” Han sat next to her and gave her a smile – not one as genuine as the other guy's had been, but one he clearly considered charming. “That makes this business and when I'm doing business, I like to have something to call the people I'm dealing with. I'm Han, that's Luke over there, and the wookiee is Chewbacca. Who are you?”

“Leia. Leia Naberrie.” It felt strange to use her real name after all this time. She hadn't dared to before, just in case anyone had decided to look for her. Quitting a position as handmaiden wasn't a crime, but Leia had been told all her life how important it was not to attract the wrong kind of attention. She hadn't entirely understood why and to some extent still didn't, at least not why it was vital for her in particular, especially once she'd left Naboo behind, but the caution had become habit regardless.

“All right, Leia. What's this message you mentioned?”

“I'll show you, but not until we hit hyperspace.” That probably wasn't necessary, but the long wait had made her feel contrary enough to insist on it. Until now, she'd done nothing she could be arrested for, but the holomessage from Queen Mairayni would change that. No reason to take the risk that her information had been wrong sooner than she had to.

“It's really that secret?” Luke asked. Han looked skeptical, too, but Leia looked him directly in the eyes and didn't back down.

“It is. Unless this bucket of bolts can't actually make it into hyperspace, of course, in which case we're both wasting our time.”

Han protested a bit, but her words served their purpose. Leia smiled a little to herself; it was good to know she hadn't entirely forgotten her political skills. She'd probably never sit on a throne again, but after months of relying mostly on her blaster and attitude, it almost felt nostalgic.

When she finally played the holorecording, both Han and Luke looked almost shocked, though Han tried to hide it after the initial widening of his eyes. If she hadn't been looking at him instead of at a recording she'd long since memorized, she might not have seen it at all.

Leia wasn't sure what they'd expected, but clearly it hadn't been this.

“Is that really the Queen of Naboo?” Luke leaned forward to stare at the blue-tinged figure, stately in her full-skirted gown and elaborate wig even at this small size. Mairayni was repeating her message, offering apologies that she personally couldn't be of further aid to the Rebellion.

_”In my stead, I send you my beloved handmaiden, Leia Naberrie. She has been a great aid to me and...”_

Han folded his arms and frowned at the image. “I think so, but I don't exactly get many invitations to royal palaces. We'll have people who can verify it. Can't say that Leia looks like any handmaiden I've ever seen, though. Are we sure she's talking about the same person?”

Leia tried not to bristle; he was right, even if it stung. “You aren't the easiest people to find. I've been looking for awhile and I had to support myself somehow.”

“Doing what?” Luke's question was so naive Leia nearly winced. Whatever he'd done before he'd joined the Rebellion, he'd obviously been sheltered if he didn't know that that wasn't a question you just asked someone, not out here on the Outer Rim.

“Mercenary work, mostly. Basic blaster-for-hire stuff.” Her reply was short, the clipped tone meant to suggest that she didn't want to talk about it.

Han looked at her again, looking her over in a measuring sort of way, but with the actual respect nothing else she'd done had seemed to evoke. “You must be better with that blaster than I thought.”

Leia gave him a look straight out of the role she'd spent the past eight months playing. “If we're going to be working together now, maybe you'll get the chance to find out.”


End file.
